Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Baseball Season 2006
- Thread starter MacNut
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
MacNut said:
No, he doesn't. And he damn well better apologize. As Sox fan and Chicagoan, I'm quite frankly p***ed.
Its not the first time he's caused controversy....Rookie doesn't hit Blalock; demoted next dayleekohler said:
or...
Ok this thread has stalled out a bit but it is almost the All Star break, any thoughts on the season so far. The AL east is as expected, Yankees and Red Sox fighting it out with the Blue Jays pestering around. The Tigers leading the Central was a bit of a surprise, but they were expected to be a good team. The sudden collapse of the Braves and the huge rise of the Mets took me by surprise.
MacNut said:
Doesn't Detroit have the best record in baseball at the moment? I don't much follow the AL, but paint me astonished!
I think everybody believed the Mets had a shot, but the total collapse of the Braves, who began the season penciled in for first or second, is pretty shocking. I can't remember the last time Atlanta wasn't competitive. Over in the NL West, every team (except for SF, I think) has spent some time in first place, and still only four games between first and last. That division is bound to be a dogfight well into September.
The really jaw-dropping news for me was the report last week that Bill Mueller's playing career is probably over. Apparently he's got very little cartilage left in his injured knee. They are looking at ways to repair it, but the outlook is poor. He was at the beginning of a two year contract with the Dodgers. Fortunately the Dodgers have Izturis back, and he seems to be getting comfortable playing third.
IJ Reilly said:
They do indeed.
Their pitching has been knockout -- Rogers has anchored the staff, Bonderman has been good, and Verlander looks like he could be among the AL's best soon.
Their offense is ok, too.
The Tigers have struggled against some of the better teams in the AL, though. I'm not confident they'll make much noise come October.
IJ Reilly said:
Damn, sorry to hear about Billy. He was always one of my favorite players.
I am glad to see Izturis back. I don't know how is arm will hold up to playing third, but he has one of the best gloves in the game.Let's not be so quick about the Giants, IJ, they were in first place a little over a month ago. Now, they are hovering around .500 and can't seem to put together any kind of win streak. If we can ever have Bonds and Alou in the line-up for more than a few days straight they may have a chance.
As to the surprise teams at the break, let me draw your attention to my picks way back at the end of March (post #241 in this thread.) I would especially like to quote my sage predictions that "[The] Tigers are my surprise team here" and the Mets as the winners of the NL East. The biggest surprise to me is the horrible play of the Angels. My picks are not looking so bad as we approach the turn!
Im certain that the wild card in the AL will be in the central and the Tigers will fall back and get the WC with the Sox getting the central. The Blue Jays will make the east interesting but I see it coming down to the last week against the Yankees and Red Sox. The Angels are a huge disappointment.
IJ Reilly said:
Well at least the NL West will be interesting this year instead of being the laughing stock of MLB like last year. Though my Padres still won it last year
though they got spanked by St. Louis in the playoffs .
best manager tantrum ever
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Once the umpire called Roger Clemens' kid safe, a minor league manager threw a major league tantrum that would have made Lou Piniella, Earl Weaver and Tommy Lasorda proud.
It also cost Asheville Tourists manager Joe Mikulik a seven-day suspension and $1,000 fine.
http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=2500470
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Once the umpire called Roger Clemens' kid safe, a minor league manager threw a major league tantrum that would have made Lou Piniella, Earl Weaver and Tommy Lasorda proud.
It also cost Asheville Tourists manager Joe Mikulik a seven-day suspension and $1,000 fine.
http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=2500470
Sayhey said:Damn, sorry to hear about Billy. He was always one of my favorite players.
Let's not be so quick about the Giants, IJ, they were in first place a little over a month ago. Now, they are hovering around .500 and can't seem to put together any kind of win streak. If we can ever have Bonds and Alou in the line-up for more than a few days straight they may have a chance.
As to the surprise teams at the break, let me draw your attention to my picks way back at the end of March (post #241 in this thread.) I would especially like to quote my sage predictions that "[The] Tigers are my surprise team here" and the Mets as the winners of the NL East. The biggest surprise to me is the horrible play of the Angels. My picks are not looking so bad as we approach the turn!
Credit where credit is due, and I stand corrected about the Giants spending some time in first place. (It's been such a round robin affair in the NL West, I couldn't recall.) Ha, the Angels can rot in the dungeon, as far as I'm concerned. I was getting pretty tired of hearing about how much better they are than that "other" LA team (even when it was true).
Izturis says his arm isn't 100% yet, but that's what you'd expect after Tommy John surgery. Same old glove, though. It's a pleasure to watch his defensive play -- just about the only real bright spot on the Dodger infield this year. Furcal is a defensive disappointment.
The July trade deadline will be interesting to watch this year, especially for the NL West teams. Nobody is counted out, so all the teams will be buyers instead of sellers.
IJ Reilly said:
Am I the only who thinks they should try Furcal at third and move Izturis back to short? Furcal has maybe the strongest infield arm in the league, but Izturis has the glove, range, and footwork to play better at shortstop. Maybe because of Furcal's contract they want to keep him there. At this point they have too many infielders, and Martinez is playing well enough to justify a lineup spot every day.
The local media seems to think that Izturis is trade bait and they're showcasing him at third to let other teams know that his arm is healthy. I'm reluctant to trade away Izturis right now. His defense is so good that he really only has to be an average hitter, and in the last few years he's hit better than that when healthy.
aloofman said:
Personally, I'd like to see that switch for the reasons you've suggested. Neither of them are experienced at third, so either way, I think we're in for some fielding adventures at that position. Other things being equal, I'd prefer to see Izturis play short. Even a week ago, I'd have thought he was on the block, but not now, not with Mueller out of action, probably permanently. I don't think the Dodgers can afford to trade him now. Martinez is a great utility guy. He can rest anyone on the infield except first, so I think he plays regularly no matter what happens at short and third.
Edit: As for expendable players, I think Navarro might be good trade bait if he comes off the DL soon.
I just browsed thru and I didnt see any Orioles fans in here.
Anyone like the arguably worst managed team in baseball?
- Doc
Anyone like the arguably worst managed team in baseball?
- Doc
aloofman said:
I'll be darned, I guess I called that one more or less. Not sure what the Dodgers need with another journeyman catcher. Maybe they plan on flipping him.
Heh, Cubs fans. Aren't they an endangered species now?
That really sucks about Bill. He's the kind of player everyone should strive to be. I think the Sox got really lucky in getting Mike Lowell. His bat has returned, and the left side of the infield (heck, the entire infield) is pretty damned solid.
No way will the WC go to the Central. It'll go (again) to the 2nd place East team. I really don't see either the Sox or Skankees winning less than 90, even without their full pitching potential (look at last year's Sox, and this year's, and tell me which rotation and bullpen you'd rather have, along with the infield).MacNut said:
That really sucks about Bill. He's the kind of player everyone should strive to be. I think the Sox got really lucky in getting Mike Lowell. His bat has returned, and the left side of the infield (heck, the entire infield) is pretty damned solid.
I miss Lou. It made going to the Mariners worth going to, when the Yankees were not in town.MacNut said:
Posted on February 21st - Quite prophetic!
Regardless of whether or not they make the playoffs this year, it's fun to watch them win, and to see Liriano come up the ranks as well as Mauer's bat. The Twins play Detroit and Chicago a bunch before the end of the year. Anything's possible I guess...
[EDIT]They just won again (afternoon game) and so did Detroit! Ugh.
Good game for the Twins. Torri Hunter started off the 1st inning with a Grand Slam, Mauer up'd his batting average to .392, Santana pitched 7 shutout innings with 9 K's and Nathan struck out the side in the 9th
It sure wasn't very fun to be a Twins fan at the beginning of the season. It's a blast now, but probably too late to make a run for the playoffs. Consider this. On June 7th the Twins were 25-33 and 11 1/2 games behind Detroit. Today is June 28th and they've gone 16-2 in their last 18 games to improve their record to 41-35. And they're *still* 11 games behind the Tigersthedude110 said:
Regardless of whether or not they make the playoffs this year, it's fun to watch them win, and to see Liriano come up the ranks as well as Mauer's bat. The Twins play Detroit and Chicago a bunch before the end of the year. Anything's possible I guess...
[EDIT]They just won again (afternoon game) and so did Detroit! Ugh.
Good game for the Twins. Torri Hunter started off the 1st inning with a Grand Slam, Mauer up'd his batting average to .392, Santana pitched 7 shutout innings with 9 K's and Nathan struck out the side in the 9th
77th All-Star Game
Coming from PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. next Tuesday July 11th.
Starting Rosters
AL
Coming from PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. next Tuesday July 11th.
Starting Rosters
AL
NL
C: Ivan Rodriguez, DETPaul Lo Duca, NYM:C
1B: David Ortiz, BOSAlbert Pujols, STL:1B
2B: Mark Loretta, BOSChase Utley, PHI:2B
SS: Derek Jeter, NYYJose Reyes, NYM:SS
3B: Alex Rodriguez, NYYDavid Wright, NYM:3B
OF: Manny Ramirez, BOSJason Bay, PIT:OF
OF: Vladimir Guerrero, LAACarlos Beltran, NYM:OF
OF: Ichiro Suzuki, SEAAlfonso Soriano, WAS:OF
Complete AL roster
It really is just a popularity contest. If you aren't from New York or Boston good luck getting on the starting roster (Two Yankees, Three Red Soxs, and Four Mets).
To bad a meaningless game determines home field advantage in the World Series.
To bad a meaningless game determines home field advantage in the World Series.